The Concierge (Blog)

Our upcoming Beginning Copyediting for Fiction class will educate anyone wanting to fix the errors seen on a daily basis in the real world! Over the past week or so, I’ve caught the following typos and grammatical awkwardness in major news media: USA Today: “publically released” USA Today: “could cause driver’s to crash” USA Today:…

A close call on the highway got me thinking about all the ways freelance editors can accident-proof your business. How to Accident-Proof Your Business A couple of weeks ago, the steering column on my car broke as I was driving down the highway! Fortunately, it was the 405, so I was only going about two…

My excuse-busting marketing method has been highly successful in helping potential author clients decide whether to get their books edited and published. Excuse-Busting Marketing: How to Help Authors Get Ready for Editing If you’ve hung around here for a while, you know that I’m a big fan of finding clients who already know they want…

When writing fiction, you’re likely to encounter problems with conflict—so the question is how to create conflict in a story. How to Create Conflict in a Story Conflict, as you probably know, drives the narrative. Consider this: Just now, I wanted a cup of tea, so I went and made one. So what, right? You…

A challenge for newer editors is feeling like you’re competing against hundreds of people for the same few clients—you have to figure out how to stand out from the crowd. But believe me when I say you’re not. A Little Ditty About How to Stand Out From the Crowd Here’s a story. My daughter is…

Developing a book editor mindset is as simple as understanding a few basic principles, including how to read a manuscript like an editor. Developing a Book Editor Mindset Beginning developmental editors sometimes ask me how “awful” books make it onto the New York Times bestseller list, and how can we worry about what makes a…

Building your editing business requires finding clients. As a newer editor, this can be challenging, so where do you start? I suggest you begin by asking yourself a few questions. Building Your Editing Business: Decide Who You Are as an Editor Inventory What You Already Know Put It Together Tips for Editors & Writers

The differences in editing fiction and nonfiction are distinct, and it is important for editors to know these differences so that relevant manuscripts are edited appropriately. Differences in Editing Fiction and Nonfiction In nonfiction (with the exception of some categories, such as memoir or narrative nonfiction), what matters is the content – the facts. So,…

Learning how freelancers can use the Pareto Principle to level up their marketing game offers great business-building wisdom. How Freelancers Can Use the Pareto Principle The Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, is a ratio used to describe certain economic and business situations, such as 20 percent of the people have 80 percent…